TEACHING WRITING ACROSS GRADE LEVELS -- JIGSAW ACTIVITY
DIRECTIONS & YOUR RESPONSIBILITY:
Now that you've highlighted your grade level chapter, work with your jigsaw group featuring members who read Interactive Writing, Awell, and Urbanski and present the most salient parts of your chapter briefly and then generate answers to the questions below. You can also consider any of the videos from the Writing Workshop wiki page as one of your texts for consideration as well. See what you are able to identify in common with your reading and what might stand out as well.
You may work collaboratively on your Google Doc and then choose an archivist from your group to post your ideas directly on your wiki page below. Your ideas should be posted during Class 6 when we will share and discuss them together.
1) What are you learning new about approaches to teaching writing and also writing workshop (especially in terms of how it is different than the on your cluster, grade level, department, or school employs now and/or the chapter that your grade level group read about)?
there are different levels of supervision/routine for each level. Small levels are required for each group, but secondary will benefit most from some independence and primary will benefit more from routine and repetition (balanced with creative support). The needs of middle school students may change based on the class, group of kids, and even the day. They benefit from a combination of structure and independence with clear guidelines and expectations and room for creativity.
every level benefits from modeling behavior and starting off by working together as a group, although primary continues group work in a different manner than secondary (who breaks away from it occasionally and returns to using it for peer editing, discussions, etc)
I would probably not have very strongly considered sharing my own work and building a freewrite with students, but I really like the idea of using that in my own classroom.
Verbal discussion is important for elementary groups to help lead the writing process; however in high school the individual internal discussion is more likely to take place in order to help them expand the writing process. It is important for middle school students to see the connection between their work and "real life". This is a time when writing can begin to look either really boring or extremely powerful to students.
For all groups, it's extremely important for teachers to be organized, and to take intentional steps to creating a powerful space and community within the classroom. Atwell stresses this in chapters 4 and 5.
2) How do the approaches to teaching writing and implementing writing workshop presented in the texts compare and contrast?
One thing that the highlights of the Urbanski (high school level) reading has in common with elementary highlights is shared writing: maybe not in the same way, but writing is shared by the teacher with her students. By sharing her process of prewriting, revision, etc with them, they see her practicing her process and understand that the final, polished product doesn’t just magically generate on the first attempt. DIfference: elementary is group writing, completed together. Secondary is practiced together, and performed separately. Middle school students can benefit from sharing writing in groups, but it must be done carefully as middle school is a time where students are developing and can be extremely reserved and wary of sharing work. It is a great time to begin creating a culture that is supportive and safe for students to share work and ideas
We also see teachers from all school levels engaging students about the topic, talking about it, etc - at least in terms of reading, Urbanski suggests that students should discuss confusing parts of the text to better understand it; they also discuss which prompt their teacher should use as a prewriting example based on what they think will make the best story. Atwell suggests that when students are engaged, there is less of a fear for misbehavior. Writing workshops should be "student centered" (Atwell, 71) and should allow students to follow through with what is important/interesting for them.
While elementary levels focus on spelling and punctuation, readings for all levels seem to support drafting in the writing process - and modeling for students (elementary level: by creating a common text together as a class. high school/middle school level: by working on a text with the professor first, then individually on one’s own work)
In terms of language, mechanics and conventional spelling/punctuation is not as important to either level on the very first draft.
In terms of composing versus constructing, both levels are very focused on composing - high school is more focused on composing, however, to build foundations and get as many ideas out as possible at once. Elementary level is more focused on constructing, too, and the practice of revision to show understanding of spelling, language, punctuation, and structure. It can vary for middle school depending on what specific students need, but there is definitely more of a push for composing.
Students in high school and middle school are given more choice while in elementary school there may be some choice but teacher guidance is heavily conducted.
There must be a very professional tone set with sharing and workshopping writing. Students should feel safe sharing in the classroom, and have to trust that their work won't be shot down by others.
Another difference lies in the teacher’s role - at a primary level, students need much more routine and guidance, so that must be modeled well. At a secondary level, we are still modeling behavior, but it’s much more personal and vulnerable by exposing your own habits/tools as a writer - however, they understand they’re not alone, and will require more independence as writers afterwards. At the middle school level, Atwell argues that students should be allowed to get help from who they think can give it- ex. other students, the teacher, etc (72).
3) What questions do you have as a teacher who will be expected to implement one or more of these approaches and the related strategies associated with them?
At the secondary level, at what point do you start paying closer attention to spelling/punctuation/grammar/construction? Would it be better to focus lessons on those separately or include them primarily in the revising process? (Probably both)
Is a formal proofreading checklist necessary or should the editing process take place in more organic fashion.
4) What questions might you have as a parent of a child who will be in these types of writing classrooms? How will you respond to these questions as a teacher of writing?
if we spend much time modeling behavior in class, we’re wasting time (from parent’s perspective)
Response: by giving students an example first, we’re guiding them and do not have to repeat the instruction of a process again
How does this type of writing prepare students for standardized tests†
Students learn needed skills just by workshopping and writing. It happens naturally in the process. The writing process also helps to produce a sense of confidence, and this will help students feel more comfortable writing and reading and this will help improve performance.
Maybe we can refer to some research and find some evidence that modeling writing does improve students’ writing;
In Ubanski, the teacher tells the student they may write an essay on any topic. What is the definition of an essay?
Further reflection on ch. 5 of Atwell
This chapter of the book really pushed home for me the idea that teaching writing is a lot of hard work, organization, prep work, and structure that makes it tiring, time consuming, and sometimes difficult. However, Atwell also provided great insight into why this much work is needed, how it changes the process of teaching writing and interacting with students, and stresses the wonderful outcomes of a productive, organized, well-done writing workshop. Students are challenged, pushed, engaged, and able to create and really think.
-TK
TEACHING WRITING ACROSS GRADE LEVELS -- JIGSAW ACTIVITY
DIRECTIONS & YOUR RESPONSIBILITY:
Now that you've highlighted your grade level chapter, work with your jigsaw group featuring members who read Interactive Writing, Awell, and Urbanski and present the most salient parts of your chapter briefly and then generate answers to the questions below. You can also consider any of the videos from the Writing Workshop wiki page as one of your texts for consideration as well. See what you are able to identify in common with your reading and what might stand out as well.You may work collaboratively on your Google Doc and then choose an archivist from your group to post your ideas directly on your wiki page below. Your ideas should be posted during Class 6 when we will share and discuss them together.
1) What are you learning new about approaches to teaching writing and also writing workshop (especially in terms of how it is different than the on your cluster, grade level, department, or school employs now and/or the chapter that your grade level group read about)?
2) How do the approaches to teaching writing and implementing writing workshop presented in the texts compare and contrast?
3) What questions do you have as a teacher who will be expected to implement one or more of these approaches and the related strategies associated with them?
4) What questions might you have as a parent of a child who will be in these types of writing classrooms? How will you respond to these questions as a teacher of writing?
Further reflection on ch. 5 of Atwell
This chapter of the book really pushed home for me the idea that teaching writing is a lot of hard work, organization, prep work, and structure that makes it tiring, time consuming, and sometimes difficult. However, Atwell also provided great insight into why this much work is needed, how it changes the process of teaching writing and interacting with students, and stresses the wonderful outcomes of a productive, organized, well-done writing workshop. Students are challenged, pushed, engaged, and able to create and really think.
-TK